dolt
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of dolt
First recorded in 1535–45; variant of obsolete dold “stupid,” originally past participle of Middle English dollen, dullen “to dull”; see dull
Explanation
Dolt refers to a person who isn't very smart. You might be called a dolt if you do something dumb, like stand outside your car complaining that you locked your keys inside — even though the window is wide open. Let's be honest — you never want to be called a dolt. And if you're a kind person, you'll never call anyone else a dolt — unless they do something so frustratingly stupid that you can't take it anymore. Dolt probably came from the Middle English word dullen, meaning "to dull, make or become dazed or stupid." To help remember what dolt means, say it out loud, with gusto. With its guttural sound, the word itself sounds not very bright.
Vocabulary lists containing dolt
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Previous seasons present Greg as the hapless dolt who acts as the idiot's edition of a Greek chorus.
From Salon • May 15, 2023
“I didn’t want to be the dolt father who keeps getting the family in trouble,” he said.
From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2022
Now I can sense more than a few people calling me a dolt.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2022
Sadly, Jules Rivera, the new illustrator of this Americana classic, has transformed Mark into a hapless dolt bumbling through a landscape of insipid sketches resembling old “Archie” comics.
From Washington Post • Oct. 23, 2020
It couldn’t be Toby already—the dolt had only just left for the morning’s luggage pickup an hour ago.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
